


5+x=7, solve for x

by alison



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, Polyamory, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-11
Updated: 2015-02-11
Packaged: 2018-03-10 14:12:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3293345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alison/pseuds/alison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dads. They’re going to be dads. <em>Niall</em> is going to be a dad.</p><p><em>Oh god, </em>he thinks.<em> I’m absolutely going to fuck this up.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	5+x=7, solve for x

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SolariaLunar21](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolariaLunar21/gifts).



> to my recipient: i know you said kidfic, but i hope it's okay that this focuses primarily on the pregnancy/planning part of things! i was just really intrigued that one aspect of your prompt.
> 
> also there's a lot more sex in this than i'd planned. sorry.

When Louis sits them all down in the living room, Niall is expecting him to announce that he’s wrecked the car or broken the washing machine or something. He’s definitely not expecting what he hears instead.

“I’m pregnant,” Louis says, his voice soft and shaky.

The room goes silent and Niall freezes, shocked. The words don’t make sense, don’t fit in his brain. Before he can even comprehend what it is Louis is saying, Liam and Harry are on their feet and surrounding Louis in a crushing hug, rambling surprised and excited exclamations.

“Oh my god!”

“Are you serious?”

“That was so fast!”

Since Niall can’t seem to get his head around what’s actually happening, his thoughts wander back to the day barely over two months ago when they’d discussed going without condoms. The conversation had all been very hypothetical; were they possibly, eventually open to having kids?

Of course Niall had said yes. He loves his boyfriends more than anything and he does want kids someday. But they’d also talked about how uncommon it is for men to get pregnant and how they’d probably have to go the route of surrogacy. Later, though. In a couple of years, maybe.

And now, two months later, Louis is pregnant. Louis is _pregnant_. _Louis_ is pregnant. As much as he says it in his mind, it doesn’t make any more sense.

When he shakes himself from his thoughts, he sees Liam touching Louis’ soft, flat belly with a wide grin and watery eyes.

“We’re gonna be _dads_ ,” he whispers in awe.

Dads. They’re going to be dads. _Niall_ is going to be a dad.

 _Oh god_ , he thinks. _I’m absolutely going to fuck this up._

-

One of the nice things about being in a relationship with four other people is that it’s a lot easier to hide. There’s always a lot going on and the focus is split and sometimes that can be a bad thing but Niall can also use it to his advantage.

In the days after Louis’ announcement, he does exactly that. He uses his other boyfriends as distractions so no one notices Niall’s worry or, if they do, their attention is dragged away quickly enough that he never has to talk about it. He feels bad, though, because Liam is already planning things and Harry keeps happy-crying and even though Zayn is more subdued, his smiles seem to sparkle a bit more when he looks at Louis. No one else seems to be freaking out.

So Niall stays quiet about his fears, not wanting to ruin it for everyone else. He’s excited, of course he is, but he can’t help but feel the tight squeeze of anxiety in his chest whenever he thinks too long about having a baby of his own, being responsible for a tiny little human. He wants to be a father but he wants to be a _good_ father and he still feels like a dumb kid most of the time.

The thoughts pop into his head at the most inopportune times, too, like when Harry is fucking him a week after the announcement, slow and deep in the dark. His cock is hard against his belly and Harry is so big inside him and his mind is blank with pleasure when he suddenly thinks of it.

He’s going to be a dad. He’s going to have a baby. And if Louis got pregnant within a month of them going without condoms, what’s to say Niall won’t get pregnant from this?

“I’m so close,” Harry whines into Niall’s neck, the younger boy’s breath hot and rapid over his skin.

Niall reaches down to grab his own cock because he’d been on the verge of coming himself when the stupid thoughts crawled to the front of his mind, unable to be ignored. He starts wanking himself, not wanting to lose his orgasm because of his stupid fear.

“Can you-“ Niall starts, cheeks flaming as Harry’s hips stutter. “Can you come on me? On- on my face or something?”

Luckily, Harry seems to be too far gone, too turned on to think about why. He shudders and pulls out, crawling up over Niall, and he fists at his cock until he comes wet over Niall’s face.

Niall kisses Harry’s thigh, closing his eyes and stroking himself quickly. He finally comes, nuzzling at Harry’s skin, but the orgasm is far from his best. Mostly he’s just glad it happened at all.

“That was hot,” Harry says with a lazy smile as he drops down beside Niall. “Been a while since we’ve done that, hmm?”

Niall forces a smile as Harry wipes the come away from his skin with his thumb. “Suppose, yeah. Just got in the mood.”

Harry doesn’t say anything else about it, just wipes Niall’s face clean, then passes out against his shoulder.

-

Over the next couple of weeks, Niall starts to settle down a bit. He’s still nervous, but he sees the way Liam is taking charge and he sees Zayn reading books about pregnancy and parenting. He sees Harry’s excitement and he sees the way Louis keeps absently touching his stomach and he starts to realize that, even though he’s scared of doing a shit job of being a dad, he’s got four other people to share the responsibility.

He tries to focus on that anyway, instead of the fear that the other four will be better parents and their kid won’t love Niall as much. He tries not to dwell on those thoughts and, for the most part, he manages it. He’s doing better with all of it, generally.

Until the day, about a month after Louis’ announcement, that Zayn calls them into the living room and, like déjà vu, has an announcement to make.

“So, I’m pregnant,” he tells them nervously.

There’s no silence this time, just an uproar of disbelief and accusations that he’s playing some sort of joke on them. Niall’s face feels numb and he watches as Zayn pulls out a pregnancy test, two lines confirming that he is, indeed, pregnant.

Niall’s mind goes blank as they all react to the news, shouting and laughing amongst each other. By the time Niall can focus on anything but the static in his brain, Louis is kissing Zayn, the two of them curled up together.

“We’re gonna be baby buddies,” Louis says with a laugh between kisses.

Zayn smirks, grabbing Louis’ hand and twining their fingers together. “Partners in crime,” he replies, pressing his forehead to Louis’.

Liam pulls away from where he’s been hugging Harry and drops down onto the couch next to Niall. “Hey,” he whispers, wrapping a strong arm around Niall’s shoulders. “Everything okay?”

Niall doesn’t see how everyone is so calm about this. They weren’t even prepared for one baby and now they’ve got two coming, back to back. In addition to being mentally or emotionally prepared for it, they need to be financially prepared and Niall knows they’re not. Not for two.

“Yeah,” he lies, though, not wanting to ruin the moment. “Just shocked. Can’t believe- like, what are the odds?”

“I know,” Liam murmurs and, when Niall looks up, he feels comforted by the boy’s expression. Liam’s always good for that, for keeping them sane. “It’s mad, but it’s amazing, too, isn’t it?”

Niall takes a deep breath, never looking away from Liam’s eyes, and nods. “It’s- yeah. Of course it is.” It _is_ , even if it’s just as terrifying as it is amazing.

Liam smiles, his eyes twinkling with excitement. “We’re gonna have a family,” he whispers.

Through all the panic and fear, Niall feels the flutter of butterflies in his stomach at the thought of it. In the beginning, he didn’t think they’d last. He thought it would be impossible to sustain a relationship like this, with five lads. He thought they’d fuck it up, but they’re still here and they’re still doing well and now they’re going to have a family.

Leaning forward, he presses his lips to Liam’s, eyelids blinking shut, and lets himself feel calm for a moment, even if it’s just Liam’s presence soaking into him.

Maybe they can do this. Maybe it will be okay.

-

Sleeping arrangements in their house are complicated. Often Louis and Zayn sleep together because Louis is a kicker and Zayn can sleep through anything. Harry and Niall sleep together because Harry is a very cuddly sleeper and Niall is the only one who doesn’t push him away, and Liam goes back and forth or even takes the third bed for himself. Once or twice they’ve even all fallen asleep together in the big bed, but despite its size, it’s still a tight enough squeeze that someone usually ends up on the floor.

But they do switch. When their work schedules keep them apart for a couple of days, Niall ends up missing Louis enough that he puts up with the kicking just to hold him as he falls asleep. And sometimes Liam and Zayn like to have a night to themselves. They’re constantly rotating around because that’s how they work. Their relationship is messy and weird, maybe, and that’s exactly how Niall likes it. He likes not knowing who he’s going to fuck that night until he stumbles into a room and finds one- or more- of his boyfriends. He likes the mayhem of it, even when he generally likes order.

He likes that there’s no being disappointed because, no matter who he ends up fucking or sleeping with or snogging on the couch, he’s always pleased. He loves them all so much that he could never wish he was with someone else instead.

The mayhem of their sex life also means that Niall has no idea who the other fathers of Louis and Zayn’s babies are. He has no idea if it could be him, can’t remember back that far. And it’s not as if it changes anything, except that it feels a bit like it does. Niall knows, rationally, that they’re his babies no matter what, but he can’t help but wonder about it, if he would feel differently if they were biologically his.

When he goes to bed with Louis one night following Zayn’s bombshell, he asks.

“Hey,” he whispers, pulling away from Louis’ lips. “Do you, like, know whose it is? Or have some idea?”

Louis levels him with a glare, lifting his hand to gently pinch Niall’s nipple. “It’s all of ours. You know that.”

“I know,” Niall sighs, wiping at his face. “Just- sort of curious, I guess.”

Louis rolls his eyes at that, pulling Niall in for another kiss. “It doesn’t matter and I don’t know,” he answers softly. “Don’t exactly keep a calendar of who fucks me on what days, y’know?”

Niall nods, thinking it’s probably better that he doesn’t know. The babies are his, that’s all that matters.

“Now that we’re done with that, how about a blowjob?” Louis smirks, leaning back to look at Niall with a lifted eyebrow.

He’s been especially frisky lately and Niall chuckles softly, pushing himself up onto his knees. “Yes, sir,” he answers, moving between Louis’ legs.

Louis’ smile softens as he watches Niall pulling his pants down. “Like when you call me ‘sir’,” he says quietly, then waggles his eyebrows.

Niall blushes, shaking his head, and drops down to hide his face in Louis’ crotch, kissing the tip of his cock. "That was _one time_ ,” he mumbles.

Louis laughs but when Niall sucks him into his mouth, the older boy gasps, sinking back against the bed and letting Niall get on with it. Niall is able to keep his mind clear of scary baby thoughts the whole time, to his happy surprise.

-

The first months are filled with planning. Niall stays out of it for the most part, letting Liam, Harry, and Louis make most decisions. Zayn tends to stick with Niall, letting the other lads argue over which formula is best and what crib to buy and what colour to paint the nursery.

Niall thinks it’s too early for most of the decisions they’re making but as long as they don’t drag him into it, he lets them go at it without saying a word. He just rests his head against Zayn’s shoulder and turns the volume up on the telly.

Things start to feel more real when Louis starts to show. It seems like it happens overnight, his belly curving out just enough that Niall’s breath catches when he sees Louis one morning in the kitchen and his t-shirt is pulled taut over the swell of it.

“You’re staring,” Louis notes, sipping from his tea. Liam and Zayn have already gone off to work and Harry’s still sleeping, leaving the two of them more or less alone.

Niall nods, reaching for his coffee. “You’re, uh,” he says, nodding at Louis’ stomach, “showing.”

“Yes, I’m told that happens during pregnancy,” Louis retorts with an amused smile. “Rumour has it, this little bump will get even bigger.”

“Shut it,” Niall says, rolling his eyes. “It’s just wild, innit? Fuckin’ mental.”

Louis sighs, setting his cup down on the counter and walks over to Niall, taking his cup and putting it on the counter as well. “Hey,” he says, bringing his hands to Niall’s shoulders. “Everything’s gonna be alright. Don’t, like, run off on us, okay?”

Niall’s heart drops at that, just knowing the thought has crossed Louis’ mind. Niall may be scared, may even be borderline terrified of all this, but that certainly doesn’t mean he’ll leave.

“Fuck off with that,” he says seriously. “You know I wouldn’t. I just- it’s _wild_. It’s big and scary and sometimes I think I’m not ready for it but I’m not going anywhere, Lou.” With shaky fingers, he lowers a hand to Louis’ belly, settling it over the slight bump there. Rubbing gently, he takes a deep breath and looks up into Louis’ eyes again. “They’re mine and you four are mine, too, and I wouldn’t leave. No matter what.”

Louis studies him for a long moment before his lips curl into a smile. “Good,” he says with a nod. “Because I’ll chase you down. Pregnant or not, I’ll catch you.”

Niall just smiles back, moving his fingertips over Louis’ belly. He knows it’ll never get that bad. He’ll never even think of leaving because these four are his life and his home and, now, his family. He’s in this, even if it scares him.

-

Even though Louis’ bump seemed to appear overnight, it grows slowly, steadily swelling as the weeks go on. Zayn’s bump, on the other hand, seems to go from nothing to full pregnant belly in no time. He’s a month behind Louis, but soon enough they look like they’re equally far along.

It’s Zayn’s idea to call the babies Flotsam and Jetsam after watching Little Mermaid one afternoon and, as ridiculous as it sounds, they all go along with it. Louis even makes up a little song with the new names and, after hearing it a few times, realizes that he’s given them all roles. Niall is Flounder and he would be offended, but then he realizes that Harry is Scuttle and his jealousy fades quickly.

Harry starts making them do yoga after reading about some health benefits it offers and one of Niall’s favourite things to do is watch them. Harry’s so serious about it, sat in front of the other two and demonstrating the poses as he calls them out. Louis and Zayn put in about a ten percent effort, lying on the floor and maybe lifting a leg or an arm as Harry talks slowly and quietly in front of them, telling them to hold their pose or how to breathe.

Inevitably, Harry looks behind him and sees Louis lying on the floor, staring at his phone, and Zayn falling asleep next to him. Niall can’t help but laugh at the huffy look on the youngest boy’s face as he gives up, but he kisses him anyway and offers to make him a post-yoga snack.

Liam tries to get them to work out, too, usually inviting them out for jogs. Zayn agreed to go once, only after Liam agreed to downgrade it to a _walk_ , but when they returned, Zayn was scowling and Liam looked terribly put-out. Niall later learned that they’d passed by a group of people smoking and Zayn’s mood had plummeted after that. Quitting hadn’t been easy for him and, even though he’s doing better now, he still gets grumpy when he’s reminded of what he’s missing.

By Louis’ month six and Zayn’s month five, Harry and Liam give up on the yoga and the jogging. Louis and Zayn spend most of their free time on the sofa and it’s like a little club, the irritable pregnant men’s club, and Harry and Liam aren’t allowed anywhere near it.

Niall is allowed, though, because he doesn’t force them to drink green smoothies and he’s just as upset about the household ban on crisps as they are. He even sneaks them things sometimes, distracting Harry and Liam long enough that Louis and Zayn can eat the mozzarella sticks he’d brought home. So he’s allowed in the club, allowed to sit with them and watch telly.

But sometimes Harry and Liam are allowed, too, like when they start talking to the babies. Louis and Zayn will sit there, feet up, as Harry and Liam talk to their swollen bellies before switching to talk to the other baby. It makes Niall feel inexplicably nervous because they’re so open about it, talking so sweetly to the bumps as if the babies are already here. Whenever they ask if Niall would like to talk, he finds an excuse to get out of it and then he gets angry with himself because he’s already fucking it up. Harry and Liam are so good at this, like it’s completely natural, and he’s absolute shit at it and the babies aren’t even born yet.

But he still runs off to the bedroom, too awkward to sit there and pour his heart out to his boyfriend’s stomachs.

-

“Ni?” Zayn’s voice asks softly from the doorway where he’s peeking inside.

Niall had fled when Liam asked if he wanted to talk to Jetsam when he was finished. His cheeks are still pink and hot as he sits on his bed, annoyed with himself that he can’t just be good at this like the others, when he looks up at the sound of Zayn’s voice.

“Yeah, hey,” he says quickly, sitting up straight. “What’s up?”

Zayn doesn’t answer, slipping into the room and closing the door behind him. Niall watches curiously as he locks the door before moving over to the bed by Niall, holding his ipod and headphones.

“Budge up,” Zayn says, waving his hand at Niall to move over.

Once they’re sat side by side against the headboard, Zayn finally turns to Niall, explaining.

“I feel like you feel too weird to talk to them in front of us,” he says, that knowing look in his eyes. “So I’m gonna listen to some music and close my eyes and if you want to give it a go, you’re welcome to. If not, that’s fine, too.”

Niall gapes at him as the boy smiles, then puts on his headphones and taps his iPod. Niall can hear the music faintly, knows it’s loud enough that Zayn won’t be able to hear anything he says, and he feels a wave of gratitude. It’s not as if he doesn’t want to talk to his babies; he just can’t stand being so much worse at all of this than the others are. And now, being given a little time to work through it himself with no one watching or listening, he thinks that maybe he can.

Before moving down, he leans in to kiss Zayn lightly, feeling a surprised little jolt under his lips before Zayn hums and kisses him back. When Niall pulls away, he mouths, _thank you_ , and Zayn squeezes his hand, nodding, then closes his eyes again, settling back.

Taking a deep breath, Niall shimmies down to Zayn’s large belly. Since he’s such a tiny lad, the bump is prominent, bulging out of his small frame like a balloon. The rest of him is still skinny as a stick, which surprises Niall. He’s barely put on any weight at all besides his stomach.

Reaching out, he touches it, running his hand over the curve and glancing up to see if Zayn is looking. He isn’t and Niall trusts that he won’t, that he’ll keep his eyes closed like he said.

“Um,” he says softly, focusing back on the bump. “So. Hi. Hi, baby,” he says awkwardly, settling his hand over Zayn’s belly, just a thin t-shirt covering it.

Clearing his throat, he starts again. “Hi. I’m Niall. I’m your other-“ His heart starts hammering in his chest as he feels the weight of the statement he’s about to make, but he forces himself through it. “I’m your other dad,” he says quietly and, fuck, that’s so mad to actually say out loud.

“I don’t know how well you can hear in there, but maybe you’ve heard me in the background before. I haven’t spoken to you yet because I’m kind of shit at- Fuck, don’t say shit. Or fuck.” Cringing to himself, he feels panicky about how badly he’s already doing. His baby’s first words are going to be curse words and he’s going to win the prize of worst father ever, probably.

“Pretend you didn’t hear that,” he says, nervously glancing up at Zayn’s closed eyes before turning back to the baby. “Let’s start over, yeah? I’m just a bit nervous about all of this, I guess. You were kind of a surprise. Not a bad surprise,” he rushes to say, feeling sweaty now. “It’s not that we don’t want you or anything. We do. We- _I_ want you, I promise, but it’s all really scary. I already-“

His throat feels tight all of a sudden and he feels like an absolute idiot as he swallows around it, closing his eyes. His cheeks are flaming, but he says it anyway, now that he has a chance to say it without anyone hearing.

“I already love you, is the thing. I don’t even know you and I already love you and I don’t want to screw you up. You’re already going to have enough of a hard time, just growing up in a sort of unconventional family. Have the others explained that? How we’re kind of different? Because we are and that might be hard for you at times, especially when you’re older.”

He stops, feeling a bit faint at the idea of having a teenaged kid eventually. He’s going to be raising a _teenager_. His brain can’t even handle that.

“What I’m saying is that it’s not you I’m scared of. It’s the fact that I want you to be happy and healthy and I’m not sure how good I’m going to be at this. But I’ll- I’ll sneak you biscuits and I’ll let you stay up a little later than the others, probably. I’ll try _really hard_ to be a good dad for you and I’ll love you. I’ll love you so much and I’m sorry if I put your diaper on backwards or if I don’t know what to do when you start crying. I’m sorry if I fuck it up.”

With a sigh, he doesn’t even bother beating himself up for the swearing this time. He just pets Zayn’s belly, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that there is an _actual baby_ in there and it’s actually _his_.

“I hope you like me,” he says, twisting his lips as he runs his hand down the curve of Zayn’s bump.

And then the most incredible thing happens. Niall feels a kick, a tiny little kick right under his hand.

He jolts up, keeping his hand in place and Zayn’s eyes fly open before he rips his headphones off, staring in amazement at where Niall’s hand is.

“Holy shit, did you feel that?” Zayn asks, eyes wide.

Niall nods quickly, waiting to see if it’ll happen again. A few seconds later, there’s another little kick and his heart feels like it’s going to beat out of his chest.

“Has that not happened before?” He asks, looking up at Zayn.

“No, never,” Zayn answers excitedly, placing his own hand next to Niall’s. “I’ve felt them shift a little but not like that. What’d you say to them?”

Niall blushes, embarrassed to admit it, but their baby _kicked_ for _him_. “I just said that I hope they like me,” he answers, glancing away.

Zayn lifts a hand to Niall’s chin, though, turning his head and dragging his gaze back. When Niall looks back at him, Zayn is smiling, eyes sparkling. “I think you got your answer,” he says softly, wiping his thumb over Niall’s jaw.

Niall knows that’s not necessarily what that meant. He doesn’t even know if the baby can really hear him and it probably can’t understand words anyway, but he still feels his eyes grow hot as he thinks about it. He still feels ridiculously proud that he was the first one to feel the baby kick.

This time, it’s not so difficult to ignore the negative thoughts. This time it’s pretty easy to just let himself enjoy it.

-

He starts to feel less panicked about everything after that. He talks to the babies more and helps Liam turn the third bedroom into a nursery. He feels a bit less useless and it’s all from a tiny little kick, but it’s enough. He feels like maybe he can do this.

When Louis is a month away from his due date, he asks Niall to sleep with him that night. It’s not a terribly uncommon request; even though they usually just sort of randomly pair up with their sleeping partners, there have certainly been times when they make specific requests. And Niall hasn’t slept with Louis in a long time so he agrees, of course, the two of them taking the smaller of the two remaining bedrooms.

Niall chuckles to himself as he gets undressed because he can hear moans from the other bedroom, the voices of the other three filtering down the hall. Louis laughs quietly, too, from the bed where he’s already under the covers, and Niall rolls his eyes as he gets in beside the older boy, turning onto his side to look at Louis. His hand automatically goes to Louis’ huge belly, giving it a gentle rub.

“Want a foot rub or anything?” He asks, knowing how much Louis likes that.

Louis shakes his head, though, dropping his hand on top of Niall’s and holding it still. “Actually, I was hoping we might do that,” he says, nodding his head back toward the wall where muffled moans are still audible.

Niall freezes then because he is doing better with everything, but he’s still been too nervous to have sex with Louis and Zayn since they both got big. He’s too worried about hurting the babies so he’s been avoiding it, even though he misses it.

“Zayn said you haven’t fucked him in a while either,” Louis goes on when Niall doesn’t answer. “We’re both getting a little self-conscious honestly.”

Niall can see it in that moment. Louis is usually so careful about covering up any of his insecurities and he’s so good at it that Niall rarely gets a peek at them. But now he sees it, that Louis feels self-conscious, and it hits him like a punch to the chest.

“No, fuck, Lou,” he says quickly, wincing. “It’s not like I don’t want to. I just don’t want to hurt them, you know?”

“Do you think Liam is hurting Jetsam right now?” Louis asks, lifting his eyebrow. “Do you think Harry hurt Flotsam last week when you saw us?”

The week before, Niall had walked in on Harry fucking Louis and, while that was generally a common occurrence in their house, it made him feel weirdly jealous. He hasn’t been jealous in years, but he felt it in that moment because he _is_ nervous about fucking them and he _does_ miss it. But Harry isn’t nervous about that stuff so Harry gets to enjoy the things Niall is too afraid to let himself have.

“No,” he answers quietly.

Louis stares at him for a long moment, like that should be enough to convince him, then turns onto his side, facing Niall with his belly touching Niall’s stomach. “Nialler, if it’s, like- if you’re not attracted to me like this-“

“Shut up,” Niall interrupts, his forehead wrinkling into a pained expression. “Lou, come on, you’re fuckin’ gorgeous like this.”

“Then fuck me,” he whispers, reaching out to touch Niall’s arm. “I miss you and I can’t fuck _you_ because I’m too huge so will you? Please?”

Niall closes his eyes, breathing out slowly, before he leans forward to kiss Louis. “Alright, but _slowly_ ,” he says against the boy’s lips.

Louis smiles into his lips, nodding. “Yeah, nice and slow. That’s good.”

It’s the most careful Niall has ever been. As he opens Louis up, he keeps his movements slow, not jabbing, but sliding his fingers in and out in a measured rhythm. Adding one finger at a time, he finally gets four inside Louis, feeling the tightness clamp down on him. It’s been too long since it’s been the two of them and Niall has missed it, being with Louis like this.

“I’m ready,” Louis says between heavy breaths. “Please, Ni, come on.”

Niall finally pulls his fingers out and pushes his own pants off, his cock heavy and desperate to be inside the boy. He doesn’t grab for a condom, which they’ve gone back to using since finding out there will be two babies, lubing up his bare cock instead. It’s been a while since he fucked someone without a condom and he can’t deny that he’s missed that, too.

“How should we-“

“Like this,” Louis answers, knowing the question. He rolls onto his side, facing away from Niall and reaches back to pull Niall closer.

When Niall is pressed up against Louis’ back, he sighs at the feeling of his cock sliding against Louis’ bum and reaches down to grasp it, guiding it toward where Louis is open and ready for him. He slips in on the first try and, fuck, he’d forgotten how good it feels.

“Yeah,” Louis says over the hitch of his breath, nodding. “God, just like that.”

Niall’s breathing has already gone ragged after two slow thrusts and he rests his forehead against the back of Louis’ neck, focusing on the feeling. He’s so warm, so soft inside, and Niall fits so perfectly.

He fucks him slowly, careful not to jostle him too much, still not wanting to hurt the baby. The slow pace also means that they can drag it out and Niall feels too good to hurry through this. So, they fuck and Niall kisses Louis’ neck, holding him as Louis releases shaky puffs of air and little high-pitched moans.

“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful, Lou,” he breathes out, eyes dancing over Louis’ body and his lovely curves. He really does look amazing pregnant. He looks amazing all the time, but like this he’s something else entirely. Radiant, even.

“Niall,” Louis replies simply, sighing the word out.

Bringing his hand around Louis’ waist, Niall caresses his belly, drawing his fingers over the boy’s skin. He drags them up to Louis’ nipple, surprised by the sharp intake of breath, the way Louis’ muscles clamp down on him.

“Is that good or bad?” Niall asks quickly, stilling his fingers.

Louis takes a few heavy breaths before answering. “Good, I think. Really sensitive. But good.”

Niall carefully drags his thumb over Louis’ nipple again, testing it out. He keeps his touch light, doesn’t dare pinch, but the reaction he gets is incredible, Louis shaking under his touch.

“Fuck,” he mumbles, thrusting again as he gently plays with the boy’s nipple. “That’s- _fuck_.”

Louis is whimpering loudly within moments, between Niall’s cock sliding inside him and Niall’s fingers touching him. “Oh, shit, I’m gonna come,” he says soon enough, sounding surprised himself.

Niall doesn’t have time to ask if he wants to take a break or slow down, because as soon as Louis says it, he’s coming where his cock remains untouched. He’s coming just like that and it’s so hot that it sends Niall over the edge, his orgasm hitting just as Louis’ comes to an end.

When they’re finished and still, Niall goes to pull out, but he’s stopped by Louis’ hand coming back to hold him in place.

“Wait. Just- wait a little bit?”

Niall kisses his neck, settling against his back, and slowly goes soft inside of him.

-

Liam works during the week and Niall works most weekends, so it’s rare for them to have a full day off together, but when Niall has a Saturday off, the timing is perfect. Their families had all chipped in to buy them two beautiful cribs that they never could have afforded on their own and now they’ve arrived, but they still need to be assembled.

Liam recruits Niall to help, appeasing an offended Harry by pointing out that he already painted the nursery so he shouldn’t have to do this, too. It’s all bullshit, everyone but Harry knows. He just can’t be trusted with tools, especially when they’re building something for their babies.

In the nursery, Niall walks over to the two large boxes containing the crib parts, but before he can start opening them up, he feels Liam’s arms slide around his waist and lips against his neck.

“Hey,” Liam says and Niall can hear the smile in his voice as well as he can feel it against his skin. “Haven’t been alone with you in ages.”

Niall laughs, dropping his hands over Liam’s muscular forearms, holding him there. “That’s true,” he answers and, when Liam’s hand snakes under his shirt, he _tsk_ s him. “We haven’t even started and you already want to take a sex break?” When Liam’s other hand slides down over his jeans, cupping his soft cock, Niall gasps softly.

“Call it a warm-up,” he suggests, the words muffled against Niall’s neck. “Preparation or something.”

Niall chokes back a groan as Liam starts rubbing him with one hand, the other sliding up to play with his nipple. “Jesus, what’s gotten into you?”

Liam kisses his neck, licking out over it and making Niall shudder. “This is the happiest I’ve ever been,” he says quietly, right over Niall’s ear. “And the most nervous and excited and I’ve got all this energy pent up in me. That’s what’s gotten into me.”

Niall feels himself getting hard where Liam is rubbing him and it’s no easy feat to pull away, turning to face him instead. “Let’s finish one crib. Then we can take a break and you can fuck me right up against the wall if you want, nice and hard. But let’s get one crib done first.”

Liam sighs, but the corners of his eyes crinkle with a smile and he finally nods. “Deal.”

It takes a while to get everything in order and figure out which parts go where, but once they get it all mapped out, the construction goes easily. As they work, Niall can’t help but watch Liam because it’s true. He looks the happiest he’s ever been, smiling to himself as he works, practically bouncing with energy. Niall has never seen him quite like this.

“I think Jetsam is a boy,” he says as he screws two pieces together. “Don’t you?”

They’d decided not to find out the sex of the babies because it doesn’t really matter but Niall does wonder sometimes. “Maybe,” he offers, thinking about it. “I dunno. I always think of Flotsam as a girl but I might be wrong.”

“Yeah, me too,” Liam answers softly, smiling as he works. “I guess it doesn’t matter. I just want them to get here. I want to meet them.”

Niall can’t help but be in awe of Liam and how he’s handling all of this. In the beginning, he was a bit crazy but now he’s just- he’s ready. He’s going to be the most amazing dad and Niall might be a little jealous, but mostly it makes him happy, seeing Liam like this.

“They’re gonna love you,” he says, kicking his foot out to tap it against Liam’s thigh.

Liam rolls his eyes, blushing a bit. “Nah, I’m probably going to be the strict dad. They’ll probably like you and Louis best.”

Niall sets down the bolt in his hands, pushing the instruction sheet aside, and crawls across the floor to Liam. Pushing the crib parts out of the way, he climbs into Liam’s lap, sitting on his thighs. “They’ll love you,” Niall says again, kissing Liam’s mouth softly. “Besides, maybe you won’t be as strict as you think. Who was it who wanted to put off building the crib to have sex instead?”

Liam laughs against Niall’s lips, pushing in for another kiss before he answers. “True. Maybe you’ll be the strict one.”

“Doubtful,” Niall replies, leaning back to look into Liam’s eyes. A smile plays at his lips as he thinks back, how they all got to this place. “Hey, remember the first time we had sex?”

Liam takes a deep breath and his hips twitch under Niall, so briefly that it feels involuntary. “Of course I remember. Christ. Not really a forgettable night.”

Their getting-together story is a sloppy one, filled with confusion and some heartbreak and jealousy. Once they figured it out, though, and they all ended up together, Liam and Niall were the only ones left who hadn’t slept together. They hadn’t even kissed when they officially entered into the relationship.

So they’d planned it out, a night alone, just the two of them. It started sort of awkwardly, the two of them not knowing each other all that well, but as the night went on, everything just clicked in a way Niall couldn’t even have hoped it would. By the end of the night, they were fucking and it was incredible in a way first time sex never is. It was the moment where Niall knew this was the right call, all five of them together. It was the moment when he stopped having any doubts.

“I know the crib isn’t done, but could we?” Liam asks, his mouth drifting to Niall’s ear, lips catching at the lobe.

Niall shudders out a breath, feeling Liam’s fingers traveling slowly up his spine, and he nods. “Yeah. Yeah, fuck me now.”

Before he can blink, he’s being flipped onto his back on the floor and Liam is all over him and Niall thinks that maybe this is the happiest he’s ever been, too.

-

A few days before Louis is scheduled to go in to have his baby, Niall wakes up in the middle of the night, needing to pee. He maneuvers his way around Harry and slips out into the hallway, but he stops when he hears voices coming from the living room.

In the dark, he can barely see that it’s Louis and Zayn on the sofa, cuddled together. Their backs are to Niall, though, and they don’t seem to know he’s there.

“Can we really do this?” Zayn asks against Louis’ shoulder. “The five of us, can we make this work?”

Niall goes still, listening for Louis’ answer.

“What are you talking about? Of course we can. We have so far.”

Zayn is silent for a stretch, probably thinking, and then he answers, his voice quiet in the dark. “What if we can’t though?”

Niall can see Louis reach over, laying his hand over Zayn’s belly. He rubs it for a moment before responding. “It’s the baby hormones making you think that way, Z. I’ve thought about it, too, honestly, but it’s just stress and hormones. We’ve been good for years, the five of us. We’re ready for this. It’s not gonna break us.”

Niall listens and it feels like the words are as much for him as they are for Zayn. He needs them, too, and he lets himself be comforted by them.

“But what about legal stuff? What about custody and parental rights? We can’t all be- some of us will be left out.”

“Legally, maybe,” Louis answers, his voice sounding a little stiffer, less confident. “We’ll all be their parents, though. Maybe not on paper, but we will be. It’ll work.”

“How?” Zayn whispers. “You and I, we’re guaranteed at least some rights. But the others- how will they feel if they can’t take their own child to the doctor or sign a form? How’s that possibly going to work?”

Niall takes a deep breath, deciding to step in. Louis’ gone silent, like he’s run out of reassurance to give Zayn, and Niall can’t let that happen. Stepping forward, he walks around the couch, clearing his throat to make his presence known so he doesn’t scare his very pregnant boyfriends.

“This is how it’s going to work,” he says before they can say anything, and sits down on the coffee table in front of them. “You two will take them to the doctor. You’ll sign the forms and you’ll do all the legal stuff that we can’t do.” He looks from Louis’ eyes to Zayn’s, and smiles, leaning forward to put a hand on each of their knees. “But we’ll all be their dads. Harry will teach them how to bake and Liam will take them to baby aerobics, probably. And I’ll- I’ll, fuck, I don’t know. I’ll love them. I’ll love them like they’re mine because they _are_. And I won’t forget that, even if I can’t sign a fuckin’ form, you know?”

Louis’ lips curl into a grin and he turns to Zayn, bumping their shoulders together. “See? What he said.”

Zayn pauses, then takes a deep, shuddering breath, wiping his hands over his face. “Okay,” he says, nodding as his hands fall away. “Okay, I trust you. Just don’t forget.”

Niall gives him a small smile, then pushes his hands up, lifting them to touch their swollen bellies. “I promise.”

Before anyone can say anything else, Harry stumbles into the room, hair a mess and half naked. “What’s going on?” He asks in a rush. “Is everyone okay?”

“Everything’s fine, Harold,” Louis replies with a little eye roll. “Calm down. Zayn was just worried about some stuff is all.”

“What stuff?” Harry asks, moving toward them, sitting next to Zayn with a furrowed brow.

“Custody stuff. The whole five dads thing, how it’ll all work out.”

Harry opens his mouth to answer, but then Liam is running into the room, too, wearing one sock. “Oh god, is it time? Do we have the bag?”

Niall laughs to himself, watching a disoriented Liam run around, trying to gather everything, before Zayn finally speaks up. “It’s not time, Li. We’re just talking.”

It takes Liam a moment to process that before he finally stops, looking at them. “Oh,” he says, squinting. “Why are you all up talking at three in the morning? Did something happen?”

“Come here,” Niall says, patting the coffee table next to him. “Everything’s fine, but we should probably all talk, all of us together. Get a few things straight.” He can tell Zayn that everything will be fine all he wants, but until they all sit down together and Zayn- and Louis, for that matter- can hear it from each of them, it won’t mean much.

Liam sits next to Niall, looking around at the faces of his boyfriends, his gaze finally landing on Niall. “So, what’s going on?”

For months, Niall has felt like maybe he won’t have anything to contribute. It’s something he’s thought in the very back of his mind since they started their relationship, but it’s gotten louder since he found out they’re going to be dads. He’s been worried that he won’t have his own place in this, won’t have anything worthwhile to give.

But now, Niall feels his place and he feels secure in it. He’ll be as much of a dad as the rest of them; he’ll figure it out. He’s still nervous, of course; he doubts he’ll ever not be nervous again now that he’s got two lives to protect, to care for. But he’s grown up a bit over the past few months and he feels calm. He feels ready.

They stay up talking all night, cloaked in darkness, admitting their fears and making promises. It won’t be easy, they all know that. It might hurt sometimes and it might be scary. But it’s not the kind of fear that drives you away. It’s the kind that brings them all closer, tighter together, ready to take on the challenge.

Niall thinks he has a pretty good team on his side. He thinks they’ll do just fine.

-

Louis has his baby on April 18th. Zayn has his on May 23rd. Flotsam is a girl, officially named Greta. Jetsam is a boy, named Amir.

When Niall looks at them, he loves them so much it feels like he’s suffocating on it, can feel it in his fingers and his toes. He gets it. He understands now what it feels like to be a father.

It’s fucking unreal.


End file.
